Joint operation of the Tax Agency, National Police and Argentine Federal Police (PFA)

165 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container from Argentina seized using the 'blind hook' procedure

• The drug was intercepted in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife after being introduced into a container ship in the port of Zárate (Argentina)

• Eight members of this organization, dedicated to maritime drug trafficking via container ships between South America and Europe, have been arrested in Argentina, and $323,000 has been seized.

• The 'blind hook' or 'rip off' is a technique consisting of introducing the narcotic into a container of legal or empty merchandise to subsequently extract the narcotic at the port of destination.

May 12, 2022.- Officials of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and agents of the National Police, in a joint operation with the Argentine Authorities (PFA), have developed an operation against a criminal organization based in Argentina and Europe, dedicated to maritime drug trafficking through container ships.

The investigation began when the agents became aware of the existence of such an organisation. As a result of the investigation, it was possible to determine the modus operandi used by the organisation to transport drugs from Argentina to Europe, contaminating containers on board ships dedicated to the transport of goods using rip-off or blind hooks in order to extract the drugs once the vessels reached European ports.

The main objective of the organisation, through its branches in Europe and specifically in Spain, was to remove the narcotic substance when the vessel arrived at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Following the investigations carried out by the police forces involved, it was possible to identify the container in which the organisation had introduced the narcotic substance.

150 packages of cocaine weighing 165 kilos

The organization introduced the narcotic substance into the port of Zárate (Argentina), taking advantage of the connections that this organized group had in this port. In this way the introduced drugs made their way to Spain.

Once the container ship reached the coasts of the Canary Islands, in the early hours of April 18, 2022, the agents established a surveillance device for both the ship and the container that was in its hold.

During this period, the agents did not observe any suspicious movement of the container, nor any person who was preparing to extract the narcotic substance. It was also confirmed that the container seals had not been violated on board the ship. Taking this into account, the agents proceeded to open the container, finding inside five blue bags, with 150 packages of cocaine with an approximate total weight of 165 kilos.

Arrests in Argentina

Once the discovery of the drugs was confirmed, the Argentine authorities proceeded to arrest the eight members of the organization, related to the introduction of the narcotic in the container in Argentina, as well as to search the homes of those arrested where 323,000 dollars were found.

The 'blind hook' or 'rip off' is a technique that consists of introducing the narcotic into a container of legal or empty merchandise and then extracting the narcotic at the port of destination.